Sony’s NEX-7: a pro spec Compact System Camera

The latest addition to
Sony’s growing CSC range, the Sony NEX-7, features a 24.6MP APS-C sized sensor,
2.3 million dot OLED viewfinder and the least shutter lag currently available
on a digital camera. This, coupled with the likes of a TRINAVI three-dial
control system and 10fps burst rate makes the Sony NEX-7 a flagship addition to
both Sony’s range of CSC models and the Compact System market as a whole.

Although looking
physically similar to the likes of NEX-5 and NEX-3C the Sony NEX-7 is aimed
more at the professional user. The 24.3 MP sensor is a significant jump from
the NEX-5’s 14.1MP offering, and sits comfortably above the next-largest
offering of the Panasonic GH2’s 16MP. Being that the NEX-7’s sensor is also
APS-C sized means the image quality should be something to behold. The ISO is
being quoted at a range of 100-16000, making it a significant leap as well.

Te built-in viewfinder
is also something special in the NEX-7, giving the user the brightness and
sharpness benefits of an OLED display rather than a standard LCD. The
resolution is at an impressive 2.3 million dots, once again topping the
Panasonic GH2’s 1.53 million. This, coupled with the vari-angle 3″ LCD should
give the user plenty of choice on the display front.

The new TRINAVI system
offers a three-dial approach to controlling functionality, with two on the top
of the camera and one at the rear. This should give the photographer rapid
access to the manual controls and other options, an element of previous NEX
models that we found lacking. With the override options of the aperture
priority, shutter priority and full manual modes available at a beckon call the
DSLR user making the transition shouldn’t feel restricted to lengthy menu
screens.

The shutter lag, timed
at 0.02 seconds, is the fastest of any interchangeable lens camera currently
available. This combined with the impressive AF speeds seen recently on the
NEX-C3 will make the Sony NEX-7 an enticing prospect for the likes of action
photography.

A full HD movie mode,
in the AVCHD format and available at either 25p or 50p frame rates, and the
10fps burst rate rounds out the most note-worthy features of this new camera,
although the likes of Picture Effects and the 3D Sweep Panorama mode also
appear.

The NEX-7 will be
available in November, with a price yet to be confirmed.

Very nice step up from what’s currently available. The addition of a viewfinder without increasing the size much is what got me hooked. Can’t wait til it comes out so I can try one.

DanC

It sounds impressive indeed, the real interesting thing for me is that looking at the pictures of the camera its body looks proportional to the lense which is nice compared to the NEX 3/5 which looked disproportional to their lenses!